SSN is a digest of the day's soccer/football/futbol articles with a focus on the top European leagues and the United States National Team. Below, you’ll find links to articles and video, as well as additional features and commentary. We locate the top news of the day so you can stay updated with ease.

Friday, August 03, 2007

Can you believe that it’s already Community Shield time?That means that the transfer window will soon shut and we can have a break from all the rumors for at least a little while.I’ll probably check out some of the Shield, but since I loath both teams, it’s a little tough to watch when you don’t want anything to happen.I wonder how bad this Lampard injury really is?Could it lead to problems down the road?And for those of you who don’t know, the Community Shield is the traditional curtain-raiser to the domestic season between the top English League and FA Cup Champions.It used to be called the Charity Shield because all the proceeds went to Charity.They still do, but the name has been changed.The first Charity Shield match was played in 1908 between Manchester United and Queens Park Rangers.Liverpool are the current Shield holders after beating Chelsea 2-1 in Cardiff last year.Wembley wasn’t yet ready, hence the match in Wales.

I was hoping that Arsenal could get a few more quid for Jose Antonio Reyes, but at least he’s gone.I really liked him, but if he can’t handle the weather in England, then what are you gonna do?As someone who is really into weather, I can understand.I’m not sure I could live there either.Best of luck to him at Atletico.At least he didn’t return to Real.

Here’s an odd one: Nery Castillo to Shakhtar Donetsk.Word is he'll receive a pretty hefty salary, which I suppose is enough for the Mexican to be lured to the Ukraine.But I can’t help but be a tad upset, because I really enjoyed watching him play for Mexico this summer (particularly when he notched this beauty against Brazil) and was hoping he’d move to a club that would grace my TV at least occasionally this year.Perhaps the Ukrainian champs will have a decent Champions League run, but I’m not counting on it.

Weirdest photo of the last couple of weeks?Freddie Ljungberg and West Ham/Icelandic Moneybags Eggert Magnusson side-by-side at Freddie’s presentation.Both bald, one pretty, one not-so-pretty.Weird.

Some questions:How will ManchesterCity fair with all these new signings?How much time will DeMarcus Beasley get with Rangers?How will a fit again Bobby Convey reintegrate into his Reading side?Can Old Man McBride continue to lead the line effectively at Craven Cottage and keep them up?Can Inter capture the Scudetto now that the playing field is level and Juventus have returned to Serie A?What will Barcelona look like with Eto’o, Ronaldhino and Henry?Do they have enough defense to win La Liga or the CL?

I’m glad this Tevez nightmare appears to be finally put to rest.What a boring waste of my time.Once at United, I think he’ll do well.Veron has warned about being a flop, like he was, and like Forlan was, but I don’t see that happening.As long as Sir Alex gives him the freedom to roam, he’ll do well.Veron is a passer who needs a particular system to function well.He didn’t have that system at Old Trafford and he suffered. Forlan is a true striker.If a striker can’t hit the target, he can’t hit the target.And he failed to do so at ManU and flopped.He’s since regained form in Spain.But Tevez has a lot more to his game and his style is not as rigid as the other two.I see him doing well.But hopefully not too well.

That’s it for now.Enjoy the Shield should you chose to view and remember: only one week to go before the EPL returns! Onward!-Sanford

Argentina striker Carlos Tevez should be free to finalise his move to Manchester United on Friday after West Ham agreed to release him from his contract, it was reported here on Thursday. An agreement with the player's representatives, which still needs to be ratified by the Premier League and Football Association, will see the Hammers paid between one million and three million pounds in compensation, the Press Association reported.

The new Ligue 1 season begins with high expectations all round. All eyes are on defending champions Lyon, although Marseille are in with a great chance of kicking off the season with a win. Matchday 1 awaits...

I won't be following the French league too closely over the next several months but since they are the first major league to get off the mark I think a preview is in order. -Sanford

Worried that loutish behaviour will shame the nation during next year's Beijing Olympics, police are threatening to detain fans who swear at a football match in the capital this weekend, as a way of stamping out the habit.

Barton allegedly attacked fellow player Ousmane Dabo at the end of last season when he was still at Manchester City. He was formally charged with assault by police after answering bail in Manchester today.

Copenhagen is hosting the fifth Homeless World Cup 29 July - 14 August , a street soccer tournament aimed at highlighting poverty and improving the lives of the participants. The event gets bigger each year [5 major cities bid to be hosts], attracting ever increasing coverage and sponsorship. The English team is being helped by ManU, so their chances of winning must be slim, while things don't look too hopeful for the US either, they're ranked 46 [from 48!]. Check out the web site.

Uli says: If you don't care (which is, I admit, kind of improbable, because why would you then read this?), if you're bypassing the Bundesliga because you're either prejudiced or simply prefer reading about the Ronaldinhos and Beckhams of this world... well, maybe you should reconsider.

If Sir Alex Ferguson's promise to rotate the Manchester United squad next season was meant as a warning to the expensive young guns he has signed in the close season then at least one of them got the message. Anderson, Ferguson's £17 million capture from Porto, acknowledged that his expensive price tag does not guarantee him a game.

With David Beckham nursing his left ankle injury back home in Southern California, the Galaxy catapulted to the top of Group A in SuperLiga play behind a thrilling 6-5 victory over FC Dallas at PizzaHutPark on Tuesday evening.

In reply to yesterday's article on the new Bex, Perdo asked: Is Ronnie gay?

Well, he did win this, but his dish-washing girlfriend Gemma looks like this:

Gemma looks like she enjoys more than two rice cakes and a black coffee for her evening meal, so she might not make it as the new Victoria. Mind you, David did have a fling with the shy and retiring Rebecca here, so maybe Ronnie is his heir apparent after all.

Rebecca also saved Bex's marriage, which was most kind of her. Unfortunately she also cost him his one real chance of glory.

Predictions of Arsenal's doom are surely premature, but if they don't get off to a good start Spurs could give them a run for their money. Personally I think they'll have problems scoring goals. Not so much in terms of finding a replacement for Henry, rather from midfield. I was surprised Wenger didn't buy Ribery, who seemed tailor-made for Arsenal. In fact, I was amazed Ribery ended up at Bayern for only 17m Euros - young goal-scoring midfielder who runs himself into the ground with World Cup experience for France - what more do you want?Cesc Fabregas confident of Arsenal's success

Alexandre Pato has experienced a meteoric rise from anonymity to becoming one of Brazil’s most sought-after would-be exports in less than a year. The player has stirred up such interest that some of the biggest clubs in Europe have ‘The Duck’ firmly in their crosshairs for the coming season. With the big guns aiming high his price has also shot up and AC Milan have even sent an emissary to the southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre to bring back the prized striker...

Sky Sports' coverage of cricket in England is excellent. Although most of the presenters are ex-players, the people in charge of cricket at Sky made two masterful decisions:1. check the ex-players had something interesting to say.2. check the ex-players could actually speak English.And what a surprise, it worked, viewing was actual improved.

Unfortunately the Sky cricket people and the Sky footie people don't seem sit at the same table for lunch. Andy Gray certaintly knows a bit about football but also happens to be a annoying, loud-mouthed boor. And prettyboy Jamie Redknapp, brought in 2 yrs ago, surely has it written into his contract that he can't say anything interesting. But it's the ex-players, brought in for each individual game, who really begger belief. Top of the lot is Jason Mcateer. Some examples of Jason's wisdom:

When asked on a credit card application to state his position in the company in which he worked, his response was "I'm a central midfielder but the boss is playing me at right wing backOrdered a pizza when dining at a restaurant with his team-mates.When asked if he wanted it cut into four or eight slices, he replied "Four, because I'm not that hungry.Alan Thompson, an ex-Bolton team mate of Jason's, once asked McAteer to "Pass the tomato ketchup;" the answer Alan received was "Red or brown?"

Hopefully things will be better on Setana. McManaman used to have his own column in the Times, which was pretty good and not ghost written, so there is room for optimism.

If only the had Max Bretos and that twat who goes on about onion bags from Fox.

Yet there is a player that Arsenal may miss more even though, technically, he remains theirs. Jose Antonio Reyes inspires few superlatives at the Emirates Stadium and, given his quest to find a warmer climate, Wenger has admitted the Spaniard will not endure another winter in the London drizzle, even though he is yet to find a new club. But in his methods, the mercurial Andalucian was vital for Arsenal.

Monday, July 30, 2007

RETURNING TO ENGLAND AS public enemy No 1 after last summer’s World Cup finals, Cristiano Ronaldo was followed at every turn by two security guards, such were the fears for his safety. He had similar attention throughout Manchester United’s preseason tour to Asia, but this time his would-be assailants were awestruck youths, male or female, all desperate to get up close and personal with football’s latest global icon.

Iraq's 1-0 victory over Saudi Arabia on a 71st-minute header by captain Younis Mahmoud was an inspirational triumph for a team whose players straddle bitter and violent ethnic divides. After the game, Mahmoud called for the United States to withdraw its troops from his nation.

Iraq erupted in joy and celebratory gunfire on Sunday when the country's national football squad won the Asian Cup and united its bitterly divided communities in a rare moment of celebration.

The numbers were startling, and to network executives, thrilling. Nearly twice as many people watched the Spanish-language broadcast of the Gold Cup final on June 24 between the U.S. and Mexico than saw the last deciding Stanley Cup match.

Small wonder, then, that Major League Soccer has long coveted and tried to find a way to tap the Hispanic soccer audience at the club level. The truth is, many Latino viewers are enthusiastically loyal not only to national squads, but to their preferred club teams.